Fertilizer suspension and method of preparation

ABSTRACT

A concentrated, homogenous, stable, water-soluble fertilizer suspension comprising: water-soluble mineral nutrients of at least nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and magnesium; and an organic stabilizing additive; and wherein the pourable, aqueous suspension has water-soluble mineral nutrients amounting to at least about 80 percent by weight (wt. %) of the suspension.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to co-pending nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 13/095,744 and claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/035,688, filed Mar. 11, 2008,both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety forall purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Endeavor

The present invention relates to stable, concentrated, aqueous andwater-soluble fertilizer suspensions formulated to provide plantnutrition for growing plants, and more particularly to stable,concentrated, aqueous and water-soluble suspensions of mineral salts andnutrient additives.

2. Description of the State of the Art

For healthy and rapid growth, particularly in a hydroponic environment,plants require a nutritionally balanced soluble nutrient feed program.Some liquid mineral fertilizers comprising mineral salts have limitedsolubility in water. Additionally, some of the elements required forplant growth form insoluble compounds at low concentration levels thatprecipitate. Liquid fertilizers typically contain the majormacronutrients of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash and themicronutrients: iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum andfrequently omit the intermediate elements of calcium, magnesium, andsulphur. When using liquid fertilizers of this type, one can experienceimbalanced growth and nutrient deficiencies in the plant. Liquidfertilizers may be accumulated to provide complete plant nutrition forgrowing plants. For example, in order to achieve a complete nutrientprofile, the feed program may include at least two nutrient containersof ionic nutrients to avoid or minimize precipitation of ions prior totheir application to the target hydroponic culture. A well knownformulation[[s]] for solutions in which plants may be grown inhydroponic cultures is Hoagland's solution where a first solutionincludes potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, monopatassium phosphate,magnesium sulfate, an iron chelate, and a second solution is amicronutrient stock solution that includes boric acid, manganesechloride, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate and molybdic acid. In addition,Hoagland's solution may achieve a lower pH by the application ofammonium. To apply the Hoagland's solution, this two-solution ortwo-container approach requires that, in order to provide a completenutrient feed, one must mix two separate concentrates and dilute each ina user solution to avoid precipitation. From a commercial distributionperspective, one may have to ship sufficient water along with theconcentrate in that the water increases handling costs over just thenecessary feed.

As an alternative to aqueous suspensions, dry nutrient blends may notcontain the full gamut of minerals of a complete solution, and drynutrient blends may not be completely water-soluble. In hydroponicsystems having nutrient monitoring, the effects of the application of adry nutrient blend to the hydroponic culture may be measurable andaffect the subsequent frequency and amounts of the dry nutrient blendthat may be added. If the dry nutrient blend is to be dissolved inhydroponic culture comprising cold water, several minutes or severalhours may be required to achieve a complete dissolution. This cold waterdelay injects a non-negligible delay between recognizing the need for anapplication of a solution feed and actually delivering the solutionfeed. Likewise in bulk applications of the dissolved dry nutrient blendfrom a dilution container, several minutes or several hours may berequired prior to administering to plants. Furthermore, many dryformulations that contain all the nutrients generally recognized forplant growth are hygroscopic, and absorb moisture from the atmosphere,and may eventually turn an original dry formulation exposed toatmospheric moisture into a sticky paste or one or more solid chunksthat may be impractical to measure and dissolve. In addition, a completedry nutrient blend may be mixed with water to form a liquid suspensionand stored in a sealed container which may not exhibit sufficient shelflife. For example, an adverse gaseous chemical reaction may set up overseveral days that can cause the sealed container to swell, rupture, andleak a brine solution. Thus, a complete dry nutrient blend may be mixedwith water to form a liquid suspension, but may be unstable andunsuitable for manufacturing and packaging in sealed storage containers.

Aqueous fertilizer suspensions producing particles that may settle outwhile on the shelf include the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,519,413,and 3,950,159, both of which disclose a suspension of coarse particlesand a hydrophilic or a polysaccharide gum for thickening. U.S. Pat. No.4,069,034 describes a method of making a suspension fertilizer withbentonite and humic acid as crystal growth modifiers. The teachings ofthis disclosure are directed to a manufacturing process that deals withsupersaturating nitrogen and phosphorous in a reactor at elevatedtemperatures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,197 discloses a fertilizer suspensionthat utilizes magnesium-aluminum silicate as a stabilizer along with adispersant selected from sorbitol, polyvinyl alcohol, caseinate, andsoluble starch hydrolosates to prevent the formation of large crystals.U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,260 discloses a suspension fertilizer suitable forirrigation fertilization and a process for its preparation, and itsteachings to not appear directed to a complete fertilizer, havingexemplary solutions made from relatively inexpensive, i.e., field grade,fertilizer raw materials with known water insoluble compounds notreadily applicable to hydroponic cultivation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,602discloses a method of manufacturing an aqueous fertilizer suspensioncontaining at least phosphate, and calcium and magnesium ions, and itsteachings appear to address suspensions that may or may not benutritionally complete, and producing an inexpensive, i.e., field grade,fertilizer with insoluble material acceptable for a drip irrigation infield use, and where the exemplary form of nitrogen taught is urea.Because water-soluble mineral nutrients are derived from mineral salts,there is an equilibrium point for these salts to form crystals and forthe crystals to slowly dissolve back into solution. Because largecrystals form at the expense of smaller ones, i.e. Ostwald Ripening,there is a progressive tendency to grow water-soluble crystals in theconcentrate. Such water-soluble crystals may eventually grow quite largeand sink to the bottom of the suspension. These are particularlytroublesome with mineral salts that have a wide range of solubility overdifferent temperatures. This is particularly troublesome with potassiumnitrate and urea.

A technique in the formulating arts is to use a cosolvent that ismiscible with the solvent that lowers the solubility of the mineral saltand slows the rate of crystal growth. The problem is that few cosolventsare non toxic to plant growth. Another technique to overcome this is tocreate a non-aqueous suspension as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,707,551, 5,906,962, and 6,743,756 and as described in US PatentApplication No. 2002/0065198 A1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,551 describesnon-aqueous suspension concentrates of highly water-soluble solids wherethe liquid composition is completely non-aqueous and also requires acomplex three-component surfactant system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,533describes stable suspension compositions where the liquid composition isnon-aqueous and the application is directed toward well drilling fluids.U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,962 discloses a method of non-aqueous suspensionconcentrates of highly water-soluble solids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,962 isa continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,551 based on a non-aqueoussolvent and a complex three-component surfactant system, and appearsdirected toward suspending a slightly water-soluble active compound,e.g., pesticide or herbicide, with a water solubility of less than 1%.U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,182 describes stable liquid suspension compositions,some having limited solubility; a non-aqueous liquid suspensionappearing to be directed toward well drilling fluids. U.S. Pat. No.5,969,012 discloses non-aqueous slurries of water-soluble polymers,where the solvent is non-aqueous and is a vehicle for concentratedwater-soluble polymers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,756 describes suspensions ofparticles in non-aqueous solvents, and appears to be directed toward theuse of a castor wax as a stabilizer.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention include suspensions and methods ofpreparing, i.e., making, the suspension, and working fluids comprisingdiluted aqueous suspensions. For example, an exemplary concentratedwater-soluble plant fertilizer suspension embodiment may comprisewater-soluble mineral nutrients of at least nitrogen, phosphorous,potassium, and magnesium, where the total mineral nutrient concentrationis at least about 80 and may be up to 95 percent by weight of thesuspension, and an organic stabilizing compound or organic stabilizingadditive, where the homogenous suspension may be sufficiently stable,i.e., evidencing minimal, if any, adverse gaseous chemical reactionswithin a hermetically sealed container and over a defined shelf-lifeperiod of time, e.g., five day, five weeks, five months, and/or oneyear. As part of the suspension, the nitrogen may be in the form of anitrate ion, the phosphorous may be in the form of a phosphorous ion,the potassium may be in the form of a potassium ion, the calcium may bein the form of a calcium ion, and the magnesium may be in the form of amagnesium ion. The amount of the ionic magnesium may be at least 0.5percent by weight of the suspension. In some embodiments, the totalmineral nutrient concentration may be at least about 80 percent byweight of the suspension, and water may comprise less than about 20percent by weight of the suspension. Other embodiments may containnitrogen, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. The exemplary homogenoussuspension may also comprise mineral nutrients, such as sulphur andurea. The suspension may further comprise ammonium ions. In someembodiments, the exemplary homogenous suspension may also includemineral nutrients, such as iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper, andmolybdenum. In other embodiments having additional nutrients, thehomogenous suspension may be nutritionally complete for plant growth inthat the suspension comprises all root-borne nutrients required forplant growth. The suspension may further include additional ingredientsof agronomic benefit. The exemplary homogenous suspension may alsocomprise an organic stabilizer, and may comprise between 0.1 and 20percent by weight of the suspension. The organic stabilizing additivemay be comprised of at least one of the following ingredients:polysaccharides and water-soluble hydrocolloid polysaccharides e.g., astarch and cellulose; disaccharides such as cane sugar, malt, molasses,and beet vinasse; fulvic acid; digested plant material; digested lignin;soluble seaweed; compost tea extracts; vermicompost; and chitosan. Thesuspension may further comprise crystal growth inhibitors, such assurfactants and humectants.

The exemplary homogenous suspension embodiment comprising water-solublemineral nutrients of at least nitrogen, phosphorous, ionic magnesium,and potassium, may also comprise a surfactant, e.g., a surfactant thatmay be selected from a group that includes lecithin, Triton™ X-45 andTriton™ X-100. In some embodiments, the exemplary homogenous suspensionmay comprise water-soluble mineral nutrients of at least nitrogen,phosphorous, ionic magnesium, and potassium that may also comprise ahumectant, e.g., a humectant that may be selected from a group thatincludes: fructose, sorbitol, xylitol, glycerin, ethylene glycol,diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, andethylene-propylene block copolymers. In other exemplary embodiments, thehomogenous suspension may comprise water-soluble mineral nutrients of atleast nitrogen, phosphorous, ionic magnesium, and potassium, and mayalso comprise a polymer to aid in steric stabilization of the suspensionfertilizer, e.g., a steric stabilizer comprising at least one of thefollowing ingredients: gum Arabic; alginic acid; cellulose ethers;lignin sulfonates; condensation products of naphthalenesulfonic acid;polyethylene glycol; polypropylene glycol; polyvinylpyrolidone,polyvinyl alcohol; polystyrene sulfonate; polyacrylic acid; blockpolymers of ethylene oxide; and block polymers of propylene oxide.

Some embodiments of the concentrated homogenous suspension comprise, byweight of the suspension (wt. %), an amount of nitrogen between about 1wt. % and about 25 wt. %, an amount of phosphorus between about 1 wt. %and about 25 wt. %, an amount of ionic magnesium of at least about 0.1wt. %, and an amount of organic stabilizing additive comprising betweenabout 0.1 wt. % and 20 wt. %. The exemplary embodiments may furthercomprise an amount of potassium between about 1 wt. % and about 25 wt.%, an amount of calcium between about 0.5 wt. % and about 10 wt. %; andan amount of sulphur between 0.1 to 10 wt. %. Accordingly, the exemplaryhomogenous suspension may be readily dissolvable in water, pH balancedwhen diluted in water, e.g., about 5.0<pH<about 7.0, evidence minimal,if any, crystal growth, and/or evidence little, if any, inert waterinsoluble material.

Concentrated, water-soluble, plant fertilizer suspension embodiments ofthe present invention may comprise a concentrated homogenous suspensionthat may have one or more water-soluble mineral nutrients, e.g., atleast nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, ionic magnesium, iron,manganese, zinc, copper, boron and molybdenum, and an organic stabilizerfor forming a stable suspension where the homogenous suspension may besufficiently stable, i.e., evidencing minimal, if any, adverse gaseouschemical reactions within a hermetically sealed container over a definedshelf-life period of time, and where the total mineral nutrientconcentration is at least about 80 to 95 percent by weight of thesuspension. Some embodiments of the concentrated water-soluble plantfertilizer suspension comprise an amount of water less than about 20percent by weight of the suspension. Some embodiments of the homogenoussuspension are nutritionally complete so that it has all nutrientsrequired for plant growth present in a balanced form.

The organic stabilizer of some embodiments of the concentratedwater-soluble plant fertilizer suspension organic stabilizer may becomprised of at least one of the following ingredients: digested plantmaterial, digested lignin, soluble seaweed, cane sugar, malt, beetvinasse, molasses, water-soluble hydrocolloid polysaccharides, composttea extracts, vermicompost, cellulose and chitosan. The organicstabilizing additive composition of embodiments of the concentratedwater-soluble plant fertilizer suspension may comprise between 0.1 and20 percent by weight of the suspension. The total mineral nutrientconcentration of embodiments of the water-soluble plant fertilizersuspension may be at least about 80 percent by weight of the suspension,and the exemplary homogenous suspension may be nutritionally complete,i.e., having all nutrients required for plant growth. Embodiments of theconcentrated water-soluble plant fertilizer suspension may comprise aconcentrated homogenous suspension having an amount of nitrogen betweenone and 20 wt. %, and in some embodiments between one and 25 wt. %; anamount of phosphorous between one and 20 wt. %, and in some embodimentsbetween one and 25 wt. %; an amount of potassium between one and 20 wt%, and in some embodiments between one and 25 wt. %; an amount of ionicmagnesium from at least about 0.1 wt. %; and the exemplary suspensionmay further comprise: an amount of calcium between 0.1 and 7.5 wt. %,and in some embodiments between 0.1 wt. % and 10 wt. %; and an amount ofsulphur between 0.1 an 5 wt. %. Embodiments of the concentratedwater-soluble plant fertilizer suspension may also comprise a humectant,and the humectant may be selected from a group of humectants such asfructose, sorbitol, xylitol, glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethyleneglycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol and ethylene-propyleneblock copolymers. Embodiments of the concentrated water-soluble plantfertilizer suspension may also comprise a polymer that aids in stericstabilization of the suspension fertilizer. Examples of such a polymerthat may aids in steric stabilization may be from a group stericstabilizers such as gum Arabic, alginic acid, cellulose ethers, ligninsulfonates, condensation products of naphthalenesulfonic acid,polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polyvinylpyrolidone,polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene sulfonate, polyacrylic acid, blockpolymers of ethylene oxide, and block polymers of propylene oxide.

Embodiments of a concentrated, homogenous, stable, water-solublefertilizer suspension may comprise: an amount of water comprising lessthan about 20 percent by weight (wt. %) of the suspension; an amount ofcalcium nitrate comprising between about 1 wt. % and 40 wt. % of thesuspension; an amount of magnesium nitrate comprising between about 1wt. % and 25 wt. %, and in some embodiments, between about 1 wt. % and30 wt. %, of the suspension; an amount of potassium phosphate and/orammonia phosphate comprising between about 1 wt. % and 30 wt. %, and insome embodiments between about 1 wt. % and 35 wt. % of the suspension;an amount of potassium nitrate comprising between about 1 wt. % and 30wt. %, and in some embodiments between about 1 wt. % and 45 wt. % of thesuspension; and an amount of organic stabilizing additive comprisingbetween about 0.1 wt. % and 10 wt. %, and in some embodiments, betweenabout 0.1 wt. % and 20 wt. % of the suspension; and where theconcentrated, homogenous, stable, water-soluble fertilizer suspension isa pourable, aqueous suspension.

Embodiments of the present invention include a concentratedwater-soluble plant fertilizer suspension that may comprise aconcentrated homogenous suspension comprising water-soluble mineralnutrients of at least nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, ionicmagnesium, sulphur, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and molybdenum,and an organic stabilizing additive, where the homogenous suspension maybe sufficiently stable, i.e., evidencing minimal, if any, adversegaseous chemical reaction within a closed container over a definedshelf-life period of time, and where the total mineral nutrientconcentration is at least about 75 percent by weight of the suspension.Exemplary suspension embodiments may comprise less than about 10 percentof water by weight, and may be nutritionally complete, i.e., having allnutrients required for plant growth present in a balanced form.

Embodiments of the present invention also include methods and processesof making a concentrated water-soluble plant fertilizer suspension. Forexample, a method of making a concentrated water-soluble plantfertilizer suspension comprising the steps of: (blending an amount ofwater and an amount of calcium nitrate; blending an amount of magnesiumnitrate comprising at least 0.5 percent by weight (wt. %) of a finalsuspension; blending an amount of potassium phosphate and/or an amountof ammonia phosphate blending an amount of potassium nitrate; andblending an amount of an organic stabilizing additive; and where theconcentrated, homogenous, stable, water-soluble fertilizer suspension isa pourable, aqueous suspension having an amount of water comprising lessthan about 20 percent by weight (wt. %) of the final suspension.

In some embodiments, the total mineral nutrient concentration is atleast about 80 percent by weight, and in some embodiments, the watercontent is less than about 20 percent by weight. Examples of one or moreorganic stabilizers that may be applied in the blending process includeat least one of the following ingredients: a starch, fulvic acid,digested plant material, digested lignin, soluble seaweed, cane sugar,malt, beet vinasse, molasses, water-soluble hydrocolloidpolysaccharides, compost tea extracts, vermicompost, cellulose,chitosan, and mixtures thereof. The step of blending nitrogen,phosphous, ionic magnesium, and potassium may comprise blending fromranges of ingredients disclosed herein, and an example may compriseblending an amount of nitrogen between one and 25 wt. % of the finalsuspension; an amount of phosphorus between one and 25 wt. % of thefinal suspension; and an amount of potassium between one and 25 percentby weight. The step of blending calcium and sulphur may compriseblending an amount of calcium between 0.5 and 10 wt. % of the finalsuspension and an amount of sulphur between 0.1 and 10 wt. % of thefinal suspension.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method of formulating and stabilizing a concentrated, complete,nutritionally balanced, readily available water-soluble fertilizer isdescribed. The composition of matter that results from the methodembodiment includes all thirteen elements required for plant growth. Theexemplary form of the nitrogen may be predominantly that of a nitrateanion for rapid nutrient uptake.

In describing the properties of the concentrate embodiments of thepresent invention, particular terms are used to address some of theseproperties. A stable concentrate is one that when stored in a closedcontainer over a period of time, there is no adverse gaseous chemicalreaction that causes swelling of the closed container. A homogeneousconcentrate is a liquid concentrate that is a stable dispersion that,over a period of time, does not stratify into one or more solid layersand one or more liquid layers having the notable absence of largecrystal growth. A complete concentrate is a concentrate having allnutrients required for plant growth present in a balanced form. Awater-soluble concentrate is a concentrate having all of its elementsreadily available for plant uptake and do not need to be digested bymicroorganisms or undergo any type of weathering or degradation process.A pH balanced concentrate is a concentrate having a ratio of cationicand anionic forms of nitrogen balanced such that the predominant form ofnitrogen is in the nitrate form, which is readily available, and notphytotoxic, to the plant. A non-toxic concentrate is a concentratehaving no ingredients or additives in its blend that are phytotoxic toplant growth. A concentrate having no inert water insoluble material isa concentrate where all ingredients of the concentrate are readilydissolvable in water and available for plant uptake.

If one adds seaweed, digested plant material, soy protein, Kraft ligninsor sulfate lignins, or other similar organic compounds, one can preventthe occurring of off-gassing experienced in the hydrating of dryfertilizers thereby making a stabilized formulation. Formulations havingsuch organic compounds added to the formation have remained stable inthe bottle for over 72 months. If seaweed is used in the blend, thereare added benefits that may include shelf stability and plantabsorption. If soy is used, there are added benefits that may includeamino acid nitrogen and chelation effects. Additionally, the organiccompounds further aid in the physical stabilization of the suspension,and maintain a homogeneous blend. Accordingly, if the water level isreduced to a practicable minimum and the particles are ground into themicron range, a concentrated stable dispersion is created that has arelatively long shelf life.

Accordingly, exemplary mix embodiments include an organic stabilizerderived from digested plant material or natural seaweed where theorganic stabilizer may prevent off-gassing and swelling of thefertilizer container. The ingredients for the suspension are preferablyreadily soluble and have very low heavy metal contaminants. The watercontent of the dispersion is preferably controlled carefully in order tomaintain a homogeneous blend that has excellent storage capacity andminimal crystal growth. The suspension may also contain additionalnatural and synthetic polymers to aid in stabilization of thedispersion. In addition, a humectant such as a water-soluble glycol maybe added. The suspension exhibits excellent storage capabilities andreadily dissolves when dispersed in water. The formula is well suitedfor hydroponic cultivation of crops as well as plants grown in soil-lessor soil-free media. Additionally the preparation is useful for providinga complete balanced plant nutrition program for growing all types ofcultivated crops in all types of growing mediums.

The invention, in its several embodiments, allows for a stable pourablehomogeneous liquid concentrate well suited for growing plants in thatthe concentrate is nutritionally complete, water-soluble, pH balanced,non-toxic, and contains no more than trace inert water insolublematerial, and the concentrate may be stored in a closed container. Theembodiments of the invention may be applied to plants being grownhydroponically and embodiments of the invention may be applied to plantsbeing grown in a soil matrix. The ratio of ammoniacal nitrogen tonitrate nitrogen is kept between 10 and 25%, it does not cause a rapidrise or decline in rhizosphere pH. This helps to maintain a balanced pHin the soil solution so that the solution is kept from wandering belowpH 5 and above pH 7. There can be additional ingredients such asphosphates, citrates, carbonates and other organic acids to help bufferand stabilize the solution pH. An additional benefit of highly refinedwater-soluble mineral salts is that they are relatively free of heavymetal contamination and thus pose little risk to the environment andhealth of the consumer. The composition may be varied to alter thebalance of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and other elements, inorder to allow for custom nutrition formulas for vegetative, flowering,and fruit development. The composition may also contain humic and fulvicacids, organic acids, enzymes, simple and complex sugars, vitamins, andgrowth hormones. Additional formulations are possible, for example, theincorporation of urea as a nitrogen source to lower the cost ofproduction, without straying from the original spirit of the invention.

A concentrated complete nutritionally balanced readily solublesuspension fertilizer containing all thirteen elements required forplant growth comprising water-soluble mineral fertilizer salts and anorganic stabilizer to form a stable dispersion may be made according tothe following teachings. The mineral salts of the concentratedsuspension fertilizer may be selected from a group of mineral saltscomprising: ammonium nitrate; ammonium phosphate; ammonium sulphate;calcium nitrate; calcium phosphate; calcium sulphate; magnesium nitrate;magnesium phosphate; magnesium sulphate; potassium nitrate; potassiumphosphate; potassium sulphate; iron sulphate; iron phosphate; ironglycinate; iron lignosulphate; chelated iron such as iron chelated viaethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), and/or iron chelated viadiethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA); and urea. The organicstabilizer of the concentrated suspension fertilizer can be selectedfrom: digested plant material, digested lignin, soluble seaweed, beetvinasse, molasses, water-soluble hydrocolloid polysaccharides, composttea extracts, vermicompost, cellulose, chitosan and mixtures thereof.Additional polymers of natural and synthetic origin to aid in stericstabilization of the mineral particles of the concentrated suspensionfertilizer may be selected from the group consisting of gum Arabic,alginic acid, cellulose ethers, lignin sulfonates, condensation productsof napthalenesulfonic acid, poly(ethyleneglycol), poly(propyleneglycol),polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly(vinyl alcohol), polystyrene sulfonate,poly(acrylic acid), poly(metacrylic acid) and block polymers of ethyleneoxide and propylene oxide. The concentrated suspension fertilizer mayinclude natural surfactants and synthetic surfactants such as lecithin,and TRITON™ X-45 and TRITON™ X-100 which are manufactured by UnionCarbide Corporations of Danbury, Conn., USA. The concentrated suspensionfertilizer may include a humectant such as glycerin, ethylene glycol,diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol,ethylene-propylene block copolymers and mixtures thereof. The totalmineral salts concentration of the concentrated suspension fertilizer ispreferably between 50 and 95%. The organic stabilizer concentration ofthe concentrated suspension fertilizer is preferably between 0.1 and50%. The water-soluble polymer of the concentrated suspension fertilizeris preferably between 0.01 and 5%. The viscosity modifying surfactant ofthe concentrated suspension fertilizer is preferably present in theamount of 0.001 and 1%. The humectant of the concentrated suspensionfertilizer is preferably between 0.1 and 25%.

EXAMPLE 1

The following ingredients in TABLE 1 and all subsequent examples andtheir respective tables were blended in sequential order with ahigh-speed disperser and may be blended instead with a rotor statorhomogenizer:

TABLE 1 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate23.59 2 Magnesium Nitrate 20.69 3 Calcium Nitrate 16.28 4 MonoAmmoniumPhosphate 6.90 5 Potassium Nitrate 30.34 6 Cane Sugar 2.21After the exemplary composition was mixed into a coarse dispersion, thecomposition was further milled in a batch attritor until the compositionis homogenous and flows. Further milling may be performed in ahorizontal media mill or a microfluidizer. The mixing and milling applygenerally to all subsequent examples and their respective tables. Thepercent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 1 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 11.7-4.1-14.0respectively with 5.7 Calcium(Ca), and 1.9 Manganese(Mg). The amount ofwater in example 1 is 9.91% by weight of the suspension.

EXAMPLE 2

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 2 are providedin TABLE 2 below:

TABLE 2 order ingredient %-age by mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate23.59 2 Magnesium Nitrate 20.69 3 Calcium Nitrate 16.28 4 MonoAmmoniumPhosphate 6.90 5 Potassium Nitrate 30.34 6 Dry fulvic 2.21The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 2 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 11.7-4.1-14.0respectively with 5.7 Calcium(Ca), and 1.9 Manganese(Mg). The amount ofwater in example 2 is 9.91% by weight of the suspension.

EXAMPLE 3

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 3 are providedin TABLE 3 below:

TABLE 3 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 5.84 2 CN9 LiquidCalcium Nitrate 17.51 3 Magnesium Sulfate 9.34 4 Magnesium Nitrate 7.785 Calcium Nitrate 15.56 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 10.89 7 PotassiumNitrate 27.24 8 Iron DTPA 1.55 9 Manganese EDTA 0.40 10 Zinc EDTA 0.1511 Potassium Borate 0.09 12 Copper EDTA 0.12 13 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 14Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 15 Dry fulvic 3.50The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 3 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 10.8-6.5-12.5respectively with 4.9 Calcium(Ca), 1.6 Manganese(Mg), and 1.2 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 3 is 9.81% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 4

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 4 are providedin TABLE 4 below:

TABLE 4 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate28.14 2 Magnesium Sulfate 18.39 3 Calcium Nitrate 11.73 4 MonoAmmoniumPhosphate 7.88 5 MonoPotassium Phosphate 1.50 6 Potassium Nitrate 26.277 Iron DTPA 1.24 8 Manganese EDTA 0.32 9 Zinc EDTA 0.12 10 PotassiumBorate 0.07 11 Copper EDTA 0.09 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 CobaltSulfate 0.01 14 Dry fulvic 4.22The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 4 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 8.7-5.5-12.6respectively with 5.3 Calcium(Ca), 1.8 Manganese(Mg), and 2.4 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 4 is 11.82% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 5

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 5 are providedin TABLE 5 below:

TABLE 5 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 Reverse Osmosis Water 4.00 2CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate 29.58 3 Magnesium Sulfate 13.99 4 MagnesiumNitrate 4.00 5 Calcium Nitrate 3.68 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 7.99 7MonoPotassium Phosphate 8.79 8 Potassium Nitrate 23.98 9 Iron DTPA 1.0610 Manganese EDTA 0.28 11 Zinc EDTA 0.11 12 Potassium Borate 0.06 13Copper EDTA 0.08 14 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 15 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 16 Dryfulvic 2.40The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 5 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 7.7-9.4-14.0respectively with 4.0 Calcium(Ca), 1.7 Manganese(Mg), and 1.8 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 5 is 16.42% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 6

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 6 are providedin TABLE 6 below:

TABLE 6 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 Reverse Osmosis Water 9.38 2CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate 33.20 3 Magnesium Sulfate 11.72 4 MagnesiumNitrate 3.91 5 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 6.25 6 MonoPotassium Phosphate16.41 7 Potassium Nitrate 15.23 8 Iron DTPA 1.04 9 Manganese EDTA 0.2710 Zinc EDTA 0.10 11 Potassium Borate 0.06 12 Copper EDTA 0.08 13 SodiumMolybdate 0.01 14 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 15 Dry fulvic 2.34The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 6 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 6.1-12.3-12.6respectively with 3.7 Calcium(Ca), 1.5 Manganese(Mg), and 1.5 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 6 is 23.32% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 7

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 7 are providedin TABLE 7 below:

TABLE 7 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate46.41 2 Magnesium Sulfate 12.66 3 Citric Acid 4.22 4 MonoAmmoniumPhosphate 4.22 5 MonoPotassium Phosphate 23.21 6 Potassium Nitrate 4.227 Iron DTPA 1.68 8 Manganese EDTA 0.44 9 Zinc EDTA 0.17 10 PotassiumBorate 0.10 11 Copper EDTA 0.13 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 CobaltSulfate 0.01 14 Dry fulvic 2.53The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 7 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 5.2-14.6-9.8respectively with 5.1 Calcium(Ca), 1.2 Manganese(Mg), and 1.6 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 7 is 19.49% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 8

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 8 are providedin TABLE 8 below:

TABLE 8 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 Reverse Osmosis Water 1.91 2NH4NO3 liquid 17.18 3 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate 5.73 4 MagnesiumSulfate 9.16 5 Magnesium Nitrate 7.63 6 Calcium Nitrate 15.27 7MonoAmmonium Phosphate 10.69 8 Potassium Nitrate 26.72 9 Iron DTPA 1.5210 Manganese EDTA 0.39 11 Zinc EDTA 0.15 12 Potassium Borate 0.09 13Copper EDTA 0.11 14 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 15 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 16 Dryfulvic 3.44The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 8 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 11.8-6.4-12.3respectively with 3.5 Calcium(Ca), 1.6 Manganese(Mg), and 1.2 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 8 is 11.53% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 9

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 9 are providedin TABLE 9 below:

TABLE 9 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 5.42 2 CN9 LiquidCalcium Nitrate 16.25 3 Magnesium Sulfate 8.66 4 Magnesium Nitrate 7.225 Calcium Nitrate 14.44 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 10.11 7 PotassiumNitrate 25.27 8 Urea 7.22 9 Iron DTPA 1.43 10 Manganese EDTA 0.37 11Zinc EDTA 0.14 12 Potassium Borate 0.09 13 Copper EDTA 0.11 14 SodiumMolybdate 0.01 15 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 16 Dry fulvic 3.25The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 9 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 13.3-6.1-11.6respectively with 4.5 Calcium(Ca), 1.5 Manganese(Mg), and 1.1 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 9 is 11.53% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 10

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 10 are providedin TABLE 10 below:

TABLE 10 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 5.53 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 16.60 3 Surfactant 0.04 4 Magnesium Sulfate 8.855 Magnesium Nitrate 7.38 6 Calcium Nitrate 14.75 7 Citric Acid 2.77 8Potassium Citrate 0.92 9 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 10.33 10 PotassiumNitrate 25.82 11 Iron DTPA 1.47 12 Manganese EDTA 0.38 13 Zinc EDTA 0.1514 Potassium Borate 0.09 15 Copper EDTA 0.11 16 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 17Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 18 Seaweed 1.48 19 Dry fulvic 3.32The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 10 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 10.2-6.2-12.0respectively with 4.6 Calcium(Ca), 1.5 Manganese(Mg), and 1.1 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 10 is 10.2% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 11

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 11 are providedin TABLE 11 below:

TABLE 11 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 6.05 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 12.10 3 Magnesium Sulfate 9.68 4 MagnesiumNitrate 8.06 5 Calcium Nitrate 19.76 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 11.29 7Potassium Nitrate 28.23 8 Iron DTPA 1.60 9 Manganese EDTA 0.42 10 ZincEDTA 0.16 11 Potassium Borate 0.10 12 Copper EDTA 0.12 13 SodiumMolybdate 0.01 14 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 15 Cane sugar 2.42The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 11 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 11.2-6.8-13.0respectively with 5.1 Calcium(Ca), 1.7 Manganese(Mg), and 1.2 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 11 is 7.62% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 12

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 12 are providedin TABLE 12 below:

TABLE 12 order ingredient %-age by mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 4.65 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 13.95 3 Magnesium Sulfate 18.60 4 Calcium Nitrate17.21 5 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 9.30 6 Potassium Nitrate 31.63 7 IronDTPA 1.23 8 Manganese EDTA 0.32 9 Zinc EDTA 0.12 10 Potassium Borate0.07 11 Copper EDTA 0.09 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 Cobalt Sulfate 0.0114 Cane Sugar 2.79The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 12 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 10.1-5.6-14.5respectively with 4.8 Calcium(Ca), 1.8 Manganese(Mg), and 2.4 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 12 is 7.81% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 13

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 13 are providedin TABLE 13 below:

TABLE 13 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate29.29 2 Magnesium Sulfate 14.64 3 Magnesium Nitrate 4.18 4 CalciumNitrate 4.18 5 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 8.37 6 MonoPotassium Phosphate9.21 7 Potassium Nitrate 25.10 8 Iron DTPA 1.66 9 Manganese EDTA 0.43 10Zinc EDTA 0.17 11 Potassium Borate 0.10 12 Copper EDTA 0.12 13 SodiumMolybdate 0.01 14 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 15 Cane Sugar 2.51The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 13 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 8.0-9.8-14.7respectively with 4.0 Calcium(Ca), 1.8 Manganese(Mg), and 1.9 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 13 is 12.30% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 14

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 14 are providedin TABLE 14 below:

TABLE 14 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate37.66 2 Magnesium Sulfate 12.55 3 Magnesium Nitrate 4.18 4 MonoAmmoniumPhosphate 6.69 5 MonoPotassium Phosphate 17.57 6 Potassium Nitrate 16.327 Iron DTPA 1.66 8 Manganese EDTA 0.43 9 Zinc EDTA 0.17 10 PotassiumBorate 0.10 11 Copper EDTA 0.12 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 CobaltSulfate 0.01 14 Cane Sugar 2.51The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 14 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 6.7-13.2-13.5respectively with 4.1 Calcium(Ca), 1.6 Manganese(Mg), and 1.6 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 14 is 15.82% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 15

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 15 are providedin TABLE 15 below:

TABLE 15 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate45.26 2 Magnesium Sulfate 12.93 3 Citric Acid 4.31 4 MonoAmmoniumPhosphate 4.31 5 MonoPotassium Phosphate 23.71 6 Potassium Nitrate 4.317 Iron DTPA 1.71 8 Manganese EDTA 0.45 9 Zinc EDTA 0.17 10 PotassiumBorate 0.10 11 Copper EDTA 0.13 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 CobaltSulfate 0.01 14 Cane sugar 2.59The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 15 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 5.1-14.9-10.0respectively with 5.0 Calcium(Ca), 1.3 Manganese(Mg), and 1.7 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 15 is 19.01% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 16

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 16 are providedin TABLE 16 below:

TABLE 16 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 18.15 2Magnesium Sulfate 9.68 3 Magnesium Nitrate 8.06 4 Calcium Nitrate 19.765 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 11.29 6 Potassium Nitrate 28.23 7 Iron DTPA1.60 8 Manganese EDTA 0.42 9 Zinc EDTA 0.16 10 Potassium Borate 0.10 11Copper EDTA 0.12 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 14 CaneSugar 2.42The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 16 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 12.5-6.8-13.0respectively with 3.8 Calcium(Ca), 1.7 Manganese(Mg), and 1.2 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 16 is 7.62% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 17

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 17 are providedin TABLE 17 below:

TABLE 17 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 5.79 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 5.79 3 Magnesium Sulfate 9.27 4 Magnesium Nitrate7.72 5 Calcium Nitrate 20.08 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 10.81 7 PotassiumNitrate 27.03 8 Urea 7.72 9 Iron DTPA 1.53 10 Manganese EDTA 0.40 11Zinc EDTA 0.15 12 Potassium Borate 0.09 13 Copper EDTA 0.11 14 SodiumMolybdate 0.01 15 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 16 Cane Sugar 3.47The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 17 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 13.9-6.5-12.4respectively with 4.5 Calcium(Ca), 1.6 Manganese(Mg), and 1.2 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 17 is 4.86% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 18

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 18 are providedin TABLE 18 below:

TABLE 18 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 5.77 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 9.61 3 Surfactant 0.04 4 Magnesium Sulfate 9.23 5Magnesium Nitrate 7.69 6 Calcium Nitrate 19.99 7 Citric Acid 2.88 8Potassium Citrate 0.96 9 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 10.77 10 PotassiumNitrate 26.91 11 Iron DTPA 1.53 12 Manganese EDTA 0.40 13 Zinc EDTA 0.1514 Potassium Borate 0.09 15 Copper EDTA 0.11 16 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 17Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 18 Cane Sugar 2.31 19 Seaweed 1.54The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 18 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 10.7-6.5-12.5respectively with 4.9 Calcium(Ca), 1.6 Manganese(Mg), and 1.2 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 18 is 6.46% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 19

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 19 are providedin TABLE 19 below:

TABLE 19 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 4.50 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 9.01 3 propylene glycol 3.60 4 Magnesium Sulfate18.02 5 Calcium Nitrate 19.37 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 9.01 7 PotassiumNitrate 30.63 8 Iron DTPA 1.19 9 Manganese EDTA 0.31 10 Zinc EDTA 0.1211 Potassium Borate 0.07 12 Copper EDTA 0.09 13 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 14Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 15 Cane Sugar 4.05The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 19 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 9.8-5.4-14.1respectively with 4.7 Calcium(Ca), 1.8 Manganese(Mg), and 2.3 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 19 is 5.68% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 20

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 20 are providedin TABLE 20 below:

TABLE 20 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 4.46 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 8.93 3 Magnesium Sulfate 17.86 4 Calcium Nitrate19.20 5 Citric Acid 4.46 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 8.93 7 PotassiumNitrate 30.36 8 Iron DTPA 1.18 9 Manganese EDTA 0.31 10 Zinc EDTA 0.1211 Potassium Borate 0.07 12 Copper EDTA 0.09 13 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 14Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 15 Seaweed 4.02The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 20 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 9.7-5.4-14.0respectively with 4.6 Calcium(Ca), 1.8 Manganese(Mg), and 2.3 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 20 is 7.90% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 21

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 21 are providedin TABLE 21 below:

TABLE 21 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate20.24 2 Magnesium Sulfate 14.17 3 Magnesium Nitrate 4.05 4 CalciumNitrate 10.12 5 Citric Acid 4.05 6 MonoAmmonium Phosphate 8.10 7MonoPotassium Phosphate 8.91 8 Potassium Nitrate 24.29 9 Iron DTPA 1.6110 Manganese EDTA 0.42 11 Zinc EDTA 0.16 12 Potassium Borate 0.10 13Copper EDTA 0.12 14 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 15 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 16Seaweed 3.64The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 21 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 7.9-9.5-14.2respectively with 4.1 Calcium(Ca), 1.8 Manganese(Mg), and 1.8 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 21 is 10.57% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 22

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 22 are providedin TABLE 22 below:

TABLE 22 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 3.05 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 16.03 3 Magnesium Sulfate 20.99 4 Calcium Nitrate27.86 5 MonoPotassium Phosphate 6.11 6 Potassium Nitrate 22.14 7 IronDTPA 1.01 8 Manganese EDTA 0.26 9 Zinc EDTA 0.10 10 Potassium Borate0.06 11 Copper EDTA 0.08 12 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 13 Cobalt Sulfate 0.0114 Cane Sugar 2.29The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 22 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 9.4-3.2-12.3respectively with 7.1 Calcium(Ca), 2.1 Manganese(Mg), and 2.7 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 22 is 8.02% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 23

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 23 are providedin TABLE 23 below:

TABLE 23 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 CN9 Liquid Calcium Nitrate19.63 2 Magnesium Sulfate 19.04 3 Calcium Nitrate 25.52 4 MonoPotassiumPhosphate 9.72 5 Potassium Nitrate 21.69 6 Iron DTPA 1.30 7 ManganeseEDTA 0.34 8 Zinc EDTA 0.13 9 Potassium Borate 0.08 10 Copper EDTA 0.1011 Sodium Molybdate 0.01 12 Cobalt Sulfate 0.01 13 Cane Sugar 2.45The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 23 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 8.6-5.1-13.3respectively with 7.0 Calcium(Ca), 1.9 Manganese(Mg), and 2.5 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 23 is 8.24% by weight of thesuspension.

EXAMPLE 24

The ingredients expressed as a percentage of weight/mass of theexemplary suspension, and order of blending, of example 24 are providedin TABLE 24 below:

TABLE 24 %-age by order ingredient mass 1 NH4NO3 liquid 3.03 2 CN9Liquid Calcium Nitrate 19.70 3 Magnesium Sulfate 22.35 4 MagnesiumNitrate 4.55 5 Calcium Nitrate 21.59 6 MonoPotassium Phosphate 6.06 7Potassium Nitrate 19.70 8 Iron DTPA 0.50 9 Manganese EDTA 0.13 10 ZincEDTA 0.05 11 Potassium Borate 0.03 12 Copper EDTA 0.04 13 SodiumMolybdate 0.00 14 Cobalt Sulfate 0.00 15 Cane Sugar 2.27The percent analysis of the exemplary formulation of TABLE 24 isnitrogen(N)-phosphorus(P₂O₅)-potassium(K₂O) percentages of 8.9-3.2-11.1respectively with 6.3 Calcium(Ca), 2.6 Manganese(Mg), and 2.9 Sulphur(S). The amount of water in example 24 is 9.55% by weight of thesuspension.

To the extent that the present invention has been described in terms ofpreferred and exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to thecompositions and/or methods, i.e., in the steps or in the sequence ofsteps of the method described herein without departing from the concept,spirit, and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will beapparent that certain agents which are both chemically andphysiologically related may be substituted for the agents describedherein while the same or similar results would be achieved.

1. A concentrated, homogenous, stable, water-soluble fertilizersuspension in a sealed container comprising: water-soluble mineralnutrients of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and magnesium;and, a chelated micronutrient selected from the group consisting ofiron, manganese, zinc, and copper; and an organic stabilizing additive;wherein the concentrated, homogenous, stable, water-soluble fertilizersuspension is a pourable, aqueous suspension having an amount ofwater-soluble mineral nutrients comprising at least about 80 percent byweight (wt. %) of the suspension.
 2. The suspension of claim 1 whereinthe nitrogen is in the form of a nitrate ion, the phosphorous is in theform of a phosphorous ion, the potassium is in the form of a potassiumion, the calcium is in the form of a calcium ion, and the magnesium isin the form of a magnesium ion.
 3. The suspension of claim 1 wherein thesealed container is hermetically sealed.
 4. The suspension of claim 1wherein the magnesium comprises ionic magnesium and an amount of theionic magnesium comprises at least 0.1 wt. % of the suspension.
 5. Thesuspension of claim 1 further comprising iron, manganese, zinc, copper,boron, molybdenate, and cobalt.
 6. The suspension of claim 1 furthercomprising a water-soluble nutrient of sulphur.
 7. The suspension ofclaim 1 further comprising ammonium ions.
 8. The suspension of claim 1further comprising urea.
 9. The suspension of claim 1 wherein theorganic stabilizing additive contains a material selected from the groupconsisting of: fulvic acid, digested plant material; digested lignin;soluble seaweed; cane sugar; malt; beet vinasse; molasses; water-solublehydrocolloid polysaccharides; compost tea extracts; vermicompost;cellulose; and chitosan.
 10. The suspension of claim 1 wherein theorganic stabilizing additive comprises between 0.1 wt. % and about 20wt. % of the suspension.
 11. The suspension of claim 1 wherein thewater-soluble mineral nutrients comprise between about 80 wt. % andabout 95 wt. % of the suspension.
 12. The suspension of claim 1 whereinthe water-soluble mineral nutrients comprise at least about 90 wt. % ofthe suspension.
 13. The suspension of claim 1 wherein: the amount ofnitrogen comprises between 1 wt. % and 25 wt. % of the suspension; theamount of phosphorus comprises between 1 wt. % and 25 wt. % of thesuspension; the amount of potassium comprises between 1 wt. % and 25 wt.% of the suspension; the amount of calcium comprises between 0.1 wt. %and 10 wt. % of the suspension; and the magnesium comprises ionicmagnesium and an amount of the ionic magnesium comprises at least 0.1wt. % of the suspension.
 14. The suspension of claim 1 wherein: theamount of nitrogen comprises between 1 wt. % and 20 wt. % of thesuspension; the amount of phosphorus comprises between 1 wt. % and 20wt. % of the suspension; the amount of potassium comprises between 1 wt.% and 20 wt. % of the suspension; the amount of calcium comprisesbetween 0.1 wt. % and 7.5 wt. % of the suspension; and the magnesiumcomprises ionic magnesium and an amount of the ionic magnesium comprisesat least 0.1 wt. % of the suspension.
 15. The suspension of claim 1wherein the suspension inhibits crystal growth.
 16. The suspension ofclaim 1 further comprising one or more surfactants.
 17. The suspensionof claim 1 further comprising one or more humectants.
 18. The suspensionof claim 1 further comprising one or more water-soluble polymers.
 19. Amethod for forming a working plant nutrient solution comprising the stepof diluting the aqueous fertilizer suspension of claim 1 in waterwherein the pH of the working plant nutrient is in the range betweenabout 5.0 and about 7.0 pH.
 20. A concentrated, homogenous, stable,water-soluble fertilizer suspension in a sealed container comprising: anamount of water comprising less than about 20 percent by weight (wt. %)of the suspension; an amount of calcium nitrate comprising between about1 wt. % and 40 wt. % of the suspension; an amount of magnesium nitratecomprising between about 1 wt. % and 30 wt. % of the suspension; anamount of potassium phosphate and/or ammonia phosphate comprisingbetween about 1 wt. % and 35 wt. % of the suspension; an amount ofpotassium nitrate comprising between about 1 wt. % and 45 wt. % of thesuspension; and a chelated micronutrient selected from the groupconsisting of iron, manganese, zinc, and copper; and an amount oforganic stabilizing additive comprising between about 0.1 wt. % and 20wt. % of the suspension; wherein the concentrated, homogenous, stable,water-soluble fertilizer suspension is a pourable, aqueous suspension.21. The suspension of claim 20 wherein the amount of calcium nitratecomprises between about 1 wt. % and 30 wt. % of the suspension; theamount of magnesium nitrate comprises between about 1 wt. % and 25 wt. %of the suspension; the amount of potassium phosphate and/or ammoniaphosphate comprises between about 1 wt. % and 30 wt. % of thesuspension; the amount of potassium nitrate comprises between about 1wt. % and 30 wt. % of the suspension; and the amount of organicstabilizing additive comprises between about 0.1 wt. % and 10 wt. % ofthe suspension.
 22. The suspension of claim 20 wherein the organicstabilizing additive contains a material selected from the groupconsisting of: fulvic acid; digested plant material; digested lignin;soluble seaweed; cane sugar; malt; beet vinasse; molasses; water-solublehydrocolloid polysaccharides; compost tea extracts; vermicompost;cellulose; and chitosan.
 23. A concentrated, homogenous, stable,water-soluble fertilizer suspension in a sealed container comprising:(a) water-soluble mineral nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium,calcium, magnesium and sulphur; (b) a chelated micronutrient selectedfrom the group consisting of iron, manganese, zinc, and copper; and, (c)an organic stabilizing additive; wherein the concentrated, homogenous,stable, water-soluble fertilizer suspension is apourable, aqueoussuspension having an amount of water-soluble mineral nutrientscomprising at least about 80 percent by weight (wt. %) of thesuspension.